WASHINGTON - U.S. consumers spent and earned more in November, reflecting a rebound from the disruptions caused by Superstorm Sandy.
The Commerce Department says consumer spending rose 0.4 per cent compared with October. Personal income jumped 0.6 per cent, the biggest gain in 11 months.
Wages and salaries rose $41.1 billion in November. Sandy, which hit the Northeast and especially New York City, had reduced wages at an annual rate of $18.2 billion in October. Spending had fallen 0.1 per cent in October compared with September.
With income rising faster than spending, the saving rate rose to 3.6 per cent of income in November, up from 3.4 per cent in October.
Economists remain concerned that income growth is too weak to support sustained increases in spending, especially at a time when Americans are worried about possible tax increases in the new year from the "fiscal cliff." That's the name for automatic tax increases and spending cuts due to take effect in January unless Congress and the Obama administration reach a budget deal before the new year.
Consumer spending is closely watched because it accounts for about 70 per cent of economic activity.
On Thursday, the government said the economy grew at an annual rate of 3.1 per cent in the July-September quarter, more than twice the 1.3 per cent growth rate from April through June. Part of the improvement came from a 1.6 per cent increase in consumer spending, slightly better than in the spring.
But analysts think economic growth has slowed in the October-December quarter to an annual rate below 2 per cent. Uncertainty about whether or how the fiscal cliff will be resolved has led some businesses to delay or reduce hiring and investment in major equipment.
Many economists expect no improvement in the January-March quarter. The latest forecast from a panel of 48 economists with the National Association for Business Economics is that the economy will expand at an annual rate of 1.8 per cent in the first quarter of 2013. Growth at that pace is considered too weak to significantly lower the unemployment rate, now at 7.7 per cent.
But economists say growth could strengthen in 2013 if Congress and the administration resolve their budget debate in a way that doesn't too drastically raise taxes or cut government spending.
The Federal Reserve ended a policy meeting last week by deciding to extend its current level of $85 billion in monthly bond purchases indefinitely to try to keep long-term interest rates low.
The central bank also for the first time tied any increase in a key short-term interest rate to a substantially improved job market. It said it planned to keep banks' overnight lending rates at a record low near zero until unemployment has fallen below 6.5 per cent — as long as the outlook for inflation remains tame.
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